Chair having spring supported pivoted seat and back rest



May 6, 1952-. A; c. HOVEN ET AL 2,595,532

CHAIR'HAVING SPRING SUPPORTED PIVOTED SEAT AND BACK REST Filed Dec. 27, 1948 2 SHEETS-Sl-1EE'I 1 10 2 JEI 3 E 5: 0 Ii l?- I :a

i Z0 14 :i

. INVENTORS Alfred C. H0002:

y 6, 1952 A. c. HQVEN ET AL 5 5 CHAIR HAVING SPRING SUPPORTED PIVOTED SEAT AND BACK REST Filed Dec. 27, 1948 I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTORS Alfred C. Eofien IGl't' E. Nbz'dmac'l'i Donald S. [labia .BJI I My! Patented May 6, 1952 UNITED STATES PTENT OFFICE CHAIR HAVING SPRING SUPPORTED PIVOTED SEAT AND BACK REST Application December 27, 1948, Serial No. 67,452

4 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to chair structures and more particularly to such structures which are intended for installation in theatres or the like.

The primary objects of the invention are to provide a chair of the theatre type in which the seat and back assembly is mounted between supporting standards in such a manner as to provide for limited rearward tilting movement, such movement being so cushioned as to give to the chair occupant a sensation of luxurious comfort beyond that which is provided by the usual upholstery of the chair; to provide such a chair the rearward tilting of which makes it possible for a chair occupant of any size to find the position of tilt which is more comfortable for him; to provide such a chair the cushioned tilting movement of which makes it possible for the chair occupant to shift and readjust himself to different tilted positions and thus increase his comfortduring a prolonged performance; and in genera1 to provide such a chair which is comfortable, sturdy, quiet and attractive.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the chair showing the chair back in its normal forward position and showing the chair seat in its normally raised position of non-use;

Figure 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary horizontal sectional view of the chair taken on line 2@ of Figure 1, the chair seat being lowered in this view; and

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the same taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2, the chair seat being shown in its lowered position for occupancy, and the seat and back assembly being shown in normal forwardly tilted position in full lines and in rearwardly tilted position in broken lines.

Referring now in detail to these drawings wherein like parts are designated by the same numerals in the several views, the chair structure there shown generally comprises a chair seat and back assembly mounted on and between spaced upright chair-supporting standards It having conventional arm rests II, and upholstered panels 12 are fitted into the upper recesses of the standards for lending a luxurious appearance to the chair. The panels l2 may be secured to the standards as by means of screws l3 passing upwardly through flanges I4 on the panels and threaded in lugs [5 cast on the standards.

The seat and back of the chair are mounted on the standards ID by means of side frames is at opposite sides thereof, each of which side frames It has a vertical flange l1 pivotally mounted on the adjacent standard at I8. The vertical flanges ii of the side frames extend from their pivotal connections to the standards upwardly rearwardly, thence horizontally rearwardly and thence again upwardly rearwardly, and each side frame has another flange 19 extending laterally inwardly from its vertical flange [1. The side frdmes it are connected for movement in unison by means of a tubular connecting bar or strut 20.

Cylinders 2! have their upper ends pivotally connected to lugs 22 on the vertical flanges H of the side frames it, said cylinders depending through clearance apertures 23, in the lateral flanges it of the side frames It. (See Figure 2.) The upper ends of the cylinders 2| are closed and the lower ends thereof are provided with openings therethrough. Plungers 24 have their lower ends pivotally secured to the standards at 25, the stems of said plungers extending upwardly through the openings in the lower ends of the cylinders 2i and being provided with plunger heads 25 slidable within the cylinders. Helical compression springs 21 are disposed within the cylinders and bear against the plunger heads 26 and the closed upper ends of the cylinders 2|, thus resiliently supporting the side frames It in the rear.

Seat mounting brackets 28 are secured as by rivets 29 to the inwardly extending lateral flanges E9 on the side frames l6, and said brackets 28 have mutually inwardly extending spindles 39 upon which the chair seat 3| is pivotally mounted at its opposite sides. The seat is thus movable to a raised position of non-use as shown in Figure 1 and to a lowered position for occupancy as shown in Figure 3, and the raising and lowering movement of the seat are limited by contact of the opposite ends of arcuate slots 32 in the seats foundation pan with stop elements 33 on the seat mounting brackets 28 (see Figure 1).

The chair back 34 is mounted on the flanges [9 which extend laterally inwardly from the upwardly rearwardly extending portions of the side frames 16 by means of' screws 35 passing through an outer back panel 36, through the flanges it, and into an inner back panel 31. The inner back panel 31 is upholstered in conventional manner as best seen in Figure 2, being provided with coil springs, burlap 39 over the springs, padding it over the burlap, and an upholstery cover 4! over the padding.

It will readily be seen that the seat and back assembly of the chair is normally urged by the compression springs 2'! to its forwardly tilted position shown in full lines in Figure 3, the assembly being stopped in such position by contact of the plunger heads 26 with the bottoms of the cylinders 2| which are flanged inwardly at their lower ends to make contact with the plunger heads. When the seat and back assembly is tilted rearwardly by the chair occupant, to its position shown in broken lines in Figure 3, such tilting movement is cushioned by the compression springs 21 and is finally stopped either by full compression of said springs 21 or by contact of the lower ends of the cylinders 2| with the enlarged pivoted lower ends of th plungers 24. It will thus be seen that the invention pro vides a chair which by its cushioned rearward tilting movement affords a maximum of luxurious comfort to the chair occupant, and while but one specific embodiment of the invention has been herein shown and described, it will b understood that the construction shown is susceptible of considerable modification all falling within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

l. In a chair structure: spaced upright chair supporting standards, side frames having vertical flanges pivotally connected at their forward ends to the standards said flanges extending from said pivotal connections horizontally rearwardly and thence upwardly rearwardly and said side frames having other flanges extending laterally inwardly from the horizontally rearwardly extending and the upwardly rearwardly extending portions of the vertical flanges, compression springs having their lower ends associated with the standards and having their upper ends associated with the rearward ends of the horizontal portions of the side frames for resiliently supporting the side frames in the rear, stop means associated with the side frames and the standards for limiting the lowering movements of the rearward ends of the side frames, seat mounting brackets mounted on the lateral flanges which extend inwardly from the horizontally rearwardly extending portions of the vertical flanges of the side frames, a chair seat mounted on and between said seat mountin brackets, and a chair back mounted at its opposite sides on the lateral flanges which extend inwardly from the upwardly rearwardly extending portions of the vertical flanges of the side frames.

2. In a chair structure: spaced upright chair supporting standards, side frames having vertical flanges pivotally connected at their forward ends to the standards said flanges extending from said pivotal connections horizontally rearwardlyand thence upwardly rearwardly and said side frames having other flanges extending laterally inwardly from the horizontally rearwardly extending and the upwardly rearwardly extending portions of the vertical flanges, compression springs having their lower ends associated with the standards and having their upper ends associated with the rearward ends of the horizontal portions of the side frames for resiliently supporting the side frames in the rear, stop means associated with the side frames and the standards for limiting the lowering movements of the rearward ends of the side frames, seat mounting brackets mounted on the lateral flanges which extend inwardly from the horizontally rearwardly extending portions of the vertical flanges of the side frames, a chair seat pivotally mounted at its opposite sides on said seat mounting brackets and movable to a raised position of non-use and to a lowered posithe brackets and the seat for limiting the raising and lowering movements of the seat, and a chair back mounted at its opposite sides on the lateral flanges which extend inwardly from the upwardly rearwardly extending portions of the vertical flanges of the side frames.

3. In a chair structure: spaced upright chair supporting standards, side frames pivotally connected to the forward parts of the standards and extending rearwardly from said pivotal connections and thence upwardly, a chair seat pivotally mounted on and between the side frames and movable to a raised position of non-use and to a lowered position for occupancy, stop means associated with the side frames and the seat for limiting the lowering movement of the seat to its position for occupancy, a chair back mounted on and between the upwardly extending portions of the side frames, springs associated with the standards and with the rearwardly extending portions of the side frames below the seat level for resiliently supporting the side frames rearwardly of their pivotal connections to the standards, and stop means associated with the side frames and the standards for limiting the lowering movements of the rearward ends of the side frames.

4. In a chair structure: spaced upright chair supporting standards, side frames pivotally connected to the forward parts of the standards and extending rearwardly from said pivotal connections and thence upwardly, a chair seat mounted on and between the rearwardly extending portions of the side frames, a chair back mounted on and between the upwardly extending portions of the side frames, cylinders pivotally depending from the rearwardly extending portions of the side frames beneath the seat and having closed upper ends and openings in their lower ends, plungers having their lower ends pivotally mounted on the standards and having stems thereon passing upwardly through the openings in the lower ends of the cylinders, said plungers having heads on the upper ends thereof slidable within the cylinders, compression springs disposed Within the cylinders and bearing against the plunger heads and the closed upper ends of the cylinders for resiliently supporting the side frames rearwardly of their pivotal connections to the standards, and stop means associated with the side frames and the standards for limiting the lowering movements of the rearward ends of the side frames.

ALFRED C. HOVEN.

WALTER E. NORDMARK.

DONALD S. HUHTA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 964,012 Folts July 12, 1910 1,148,905 Kinner' Aug. 3, 1915 A 2,142,358 Kaiser Jan. 3, 1939 2,516,172 Baldwin July 25, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 805,892 France Sept, 7, 1936 

